Skyline carriage



SKYLINE CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR FREDRICK T. KNOT'T Oct. 1, 1963 F. T. KNOTT 3,105,597

SKYLINE CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 8, 1962 2 sheets-sheet 2'- INVENTOR FREDA/CK KNOTT United States Patent 3,105,597 SKYLKNE CARRIAGE Fredrick T. Knott, 738 Lucas Road, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada Filed Jan. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 164,861 Claims. (Cl. 212-4115) My invention relates to a hoisting and conveying device which is particularly intended for use in the logging industry where fallen timber is required to be transported to a centrally located collecting station.

The objects of the invention are to provide means within the carriage itself whereby a log load may be raised above ground level, to provide means for operating the load hoisting means from a remote point and to move the carriage along the skyline towards said point and to provide means whereby a heavy log load may easily be supported in raised position as it is being transported by the carriage.

These and other objects will appear in the following specification and be shown in the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic View of the carriage in use in a typical logging operation.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the carriage.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation.

FIGURE 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing the ratchet and pawl.

FIGURE 6 shows a logging operation wherein the carriage is moved in one direction along'the skyline by gravity.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the numeral 10 indicates an overhead cable or skyline which, in a typical logging operation, would be suspended between spar trees 11 and 12 with its ends firmly anchored adjacent thereto. Such a skyline provides a path of travel for a carriage 15 which is moved back and forth by means of a power driven winch or donkey 16 located near the spar tree 12 and having winding drums 17, 17A and 17B. 4

The drum 17 carries a haulback or hauling cable 18 which may be trained through a number of. anchored blocks 19 and secured to the carriage 15 so that said carriage can be moved towards the spar tree 11. A second cable which will be referred to as the control cable 21, has its ends wound around the two independently operated drums 17A and 178 so as to form a bight and the outer end of the bight is operatively connected to the load hoisting mechanism of the skyline carriage.

The skyline carriage 15 consists of spaced side plates 23 and 24 which are connected by end webs 25 and 26 and also by a short bottom web 27. The side plate 24 extends above the plate 23 and at each end of the plate 24, an inverted channel-shaped member 28 is provided in vertical alignment with the centre of the carriage. Extending across the members 28 are horizontal pins 29 on which sheaves 30 are journalled and these sheaves ride upon the skyline it to support the carriage suspended therebelow. The plate 23 and the members 23 are preferably connected by removable bars 32 which serve to prevent the carriage from jumping off the skyline.

Fitted to the web 25 is an eye 34 to which the end of the hauling cable 18 is secured. A similar eye 35 is secured to the web 26 and another line, not shown, may be attached to this eye if desired, although in the preferred embodiment the carriage is adapted to be moved towards the donkey 16 by means of the control cable 21.

Beneath the eye 35, the web 26 is provided with a ver- Fatented Oct. 1, 1963 tical slot 37 and above and below said slot, lugs 38 are provided to support vertically staggered pulleys 39. Near the pulleys 39, a pair of vertical rollers 40 are mounted within the carriage, the pulleys and rollers coacting to form a fairlead 41 for the control cable 21.

Secured to the lower edge of the skyline carriage is a swingly mounted arm 44 having spaced side members which are fastened to the plates 23 and 24 by bolts 45. The lower end of the arm 4-4 carries a fairlead 46 made up of longitudinal and transverse rollers 47 and '48 respectively.

Vertically aligned with the arm 44 is a cable drum 50 which is mounted on a shaftSi. The shaft extends through the carriage side plates and is journalled on exterior bearings 52. Each end of the shaft is fitted with a large sprocket 54-. A length of cable is wound around, the drum 50 and this cable forms a load line 56 for the carriage. One end of the cable 56 extends downwardly between the plates 23 and 24, thence through the fairlead 46 to hang beneath the carriage. A hook 57 is secured to the lower end of the line 5s and the choker cable or other load fastening means 58 are adapted to be attached to the hook.

Adjacent to the shaft 51, the carriage is fitted with a second shaft e1, see particularly FIGURE 4-, which shaft is journalled in bearings 62 secured to the outer faces of the carriage plates. The outer ends of the shaft 61 are fittedwith small sprockets 63 which are connected to the large sprockets 54 by chains 64-. Secured to the shaft 61 by a key 66, is a sleeve 67 having a vertical flange 68 at one end] The sleeve has a left hand thread 69 which is engaged by the internally threaded hub 70 of a Wheel 71 the said wheel having a wide peripheral groove 72. A stop collar 73 is secured as' at 74 to the shaft to limit the movement of the wheel in this direction. I

The flange 68 has a shoulder 76 and rotatably mounted on this shoulder is an annular disc 77 which has slight axial movement on the shoulder. The left side face of the disc is fitted with a band 78 of brake material which is adapted to engage the flange 68. An annular flange 79 is secured to the wheel 71 and this flange is adapted to bear against the right side face of the disc 77 so as to serve as a thrust bearing between the two parts. On the peripheral edge of the disc 77 ratchet teeth 80 are pro vided and a pawl 81, mounted on a pin 32 secured to the side plate 23, engages the ratchet teeth. A spring 83, also mounted on a pin 84 carried .by the plate 23, urges the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth. Thus, the disc 77 may be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 5, but is held by the pawl against rotation in the opposite direction.

The outer end of the control cable 21 is wound around the wheel 71, preferably two and a half times, so that three wraps of the cable are seated in the peripheral groove 72. When the cable is secured to the wheel in this manner, both the upper and lower runs are guided by the fairlead 41 so' that said cable feeds loft and onto the wheel without dislodging from the peripheral groove.

In operation, the carriage 15 is run along the. skyline it to the loading site which may be near the spar tree 11. Movement of the'carriage to this location is brought about by winding in the hauling line 18 while simultaneonsly paying out both drums 17A and 17B of the control line 21. To lowerthe load line 56 to ground level, the drums 17A and 17B are rotated in opposite directions so as to move the wheel 71 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2. This movement advances the wheel towards the stop 73 whereupon the flange 68 is disengaged by the disc 77 and the shaft 61 is free to rotate. It will be noted that the brake disc itself is held against free rotation by the pawl 81. The drum 50 now is rotated by the pull of the members 57 and 58 so as to unwind the load line and lower the end of said line to ground level.

The log load is secured to the line 56 by the choker and an all clear signal is given to the donkey operator. By holding the carriage on the skyline with the hauling cable and again simultaneously operating the drums 17A and 178, the wheel 71 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG- URE 2 and is advanced upon the left hand thread 69. The disc 77 is thus locked between the wheel and the flange 63 to provide, in effect, a friction clutch which enables drive to be transmitted from said wheel to the shaft 61 and through the reduced chain and sprocket drive to the shaft 51 of the drum. As this drive transmission'takes place the ratchet teeth 80 on the rotating disc 77 pass beneath the pawl and when the load has been raised to the required height the pawl engages the teeth to hold the load in elevated position.

Both runs of the cable control are wound in and the hauling cable is payed out to move the carriage towards the spar tree 12. At the unloading site the carriage is held stationary on the skyline and the wheel 71 is rotated a partial turn only to release the friction clutch and allow the log load to descend. By manipulation of the wheel 71 the donkey operator is able to lower the load while applying a brake which will prevent too rapid a descent.

When the load is unhooked from the choker cable the carriage is run back to the loading site to repeat the above described operation. It should be noted however that there is no need to raise the book 57 up to the arm 44 since the carriage can be moved along the skyline with the load cable trailing therebelow and raised sufliciently to clear obstructions on the ground.

As shown in FIGURE 6, the carriage is operating on a skyline supported by spar trees 13 and 12 with the former tree being disposed below the latter. The donkey 16 in this case need only employ two winding drums 17A and 17B with the control cable 21' being trained over said drum and the wheel 60 in the previously described manner. Since the carriage will run by gravity to transport loads from the tree 12 to the tree 11', the haulback cable is dispensed with to greatly simplify the rigging required for this type of logging operation. The weight of a log load plus that of the carriage serves to hold said carriage stationary on the skyline as the load is being raised. By virtue of the reduced drive between the shafts 51 and 61, the control cable may be operated disc rotatably mounted on the sleeve between the flange to wind in the drum without moving the carriage towards the spar tree 12.

I have shown a chain and sprocket drive between the shafts 51 and 61 but obviously other types of drives would provide the required reduction, for example, a worm drive or the like. Alternatively, a hydraulic pump could be substituted for the mechanism carried by the shaft 61 which pump would serve to drive a hydraulic motor operatively connected to the drum 50.

What I claim is:

1. In a carriage having a sheave adapted to run upon an overhead cable, a winding drum rotatably mounted in the carriage, a load cable wound upon the winding drum and having an end adapted for attachment to a load, a shaft journalled in the carriage, a threaded sleeve secured to the shaft and having a flange, an internally threaded wheel mounted on the threaded sleeve, a drive and the wheel, a control cable extending from a source of haulage around the wheel and to a second source of haulage, means operatively connecting the winding drum to the shaft and a hauling cable attached to the carriage and extending to a third source of haulage.

2. Structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive disc has ratchet teeth and a pawl carried by the carriage engages the ratchet teeth.

3. In a carriage having a sheave adapted to run upon an overhead cable, a winding drum rotatably mounted in the carriage, a load cable wound upon the winding. drum and having an end adapted for attachment to a load, a shaft journalled in the carriage, a threaded sleeve References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 2,589,315 Yelton Mar. 18, 1952 Neubert Feb. 28, 1922 

1. IN A CARRIAGE HAVING A SHEAVE ADAPTED TO RUN UPON AN OVERHEAD CABLE, A WINDING DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE CARRIAGE, A LOAD CABLE WOUND UPON THE WINDING DRUM AND HAVING AN END ADAPTED FOR ATTACHEMENT TO A LOAD, A SHAFT JOURNALLED IN THE CARRIAGE, A THREADED SLEEVE SECURED TO THE SHAFT AND HAVING A FLANGE, AN INTERNALLY THREADED WHEEL MOUNTED ON THE THREADED SLEEVE, A DRIVE DISC ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE SLEEVE BETWEEN THE FLANGE 